


drinks and fries

by jilyss



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, athlete lily au, bar au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28278054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jilyss/pseuds/jilyss
Summary: Lily's at a club, still in her football jersey, and just wants to go home. Her friends have other plans.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 34
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

If Lily had her way, she would be relaxing in a nice warm shower, blasting her oldies playlist. But instead, she sitting in a fancy club, wedged in a booth with Marlene, still wearing her blue football jersey, sweaty blue headband, and her white socks. 

Emmeline, sitting across from the three of them, greeted Dorcas as she returned with a round of drinks. Marlene happily forced a drink in Lily’s hand, who raised it up as everyone cheered, then set it back on the table. 

“Lighten up Lily, you haven’t been out in _ages_ ,” Dorcas sighed, shoving the drink back into her hand. 

Lily wrapped her fingers around the shot glass but didn’t attempt to raise it. “I went out with you three weeks ago.” She tugged on the collar of her sweatshirt, which she wore despite the heat to cover up her team’s logo.

Marlene raised her eyebrows. “We haven’t seen you since then, and I know you haven’t been going out while you were traveling.”

“You know, if you just took off your sweatshirt, you might actually go home with someone tonight,” Emmeline giggled. 

Lily groaned. That was the absolute last thing she had wanted to do at the moment. “I absolutely reek. No one want’s to go home with a female football player who needs a long shower.” She ran her fingers through her hair, still partially pulled back by a headband, feeling the sweat still sticking to her. “Besides, last time you dragged me out, I didn’t have a jacket, and all I got was some fleazebag trying to tell me that he didn’t care for female football because ‘girls aren’t as fast as guys’”. 

The first time Lily had been forced to go out clubbing with her friends, it was Friday night after a long day of training. She had intended to head straight home afterwards, take a long shower, and heat up some old leftovers from a few days previous. It was the middle of their season, and between practices, games, and the travel in between, Lily had hardly been home for long enough to actually go grocery shopping. 

Marlene, Emmeline, and Dorcas had waited for her outside of their training facility, refusing to budge when Lily had laughed them off. She missed them of course, and wished that she could see them more often, but she was focused on her training. The Women’s FA cup contenders would be approaching soon, and her team had a decent shot of making it. She also hadn’t told her friends yet, secretly hoping to accomplish it by herself, but the Olympics were approaching, and despite her young age, Lily was intent on making the British team this year. 

When Lily had tried to beg off, making some excuse up about an early morning practice, Marlene had boldly asked one of her teammates what time practice was the next morning. When it had been later the next afternoon, Lily was out of excuses. She was forced into the car, dragged off to the club, sweaty, and still in her uniform. 

She’d even tried to protest that the bouncer wouldn’t let her in when she smelled and looked like she did, but Marlene showed him Lily’s wikipedia page, and surprisingly, it was enough to get them all in.

The same thing had happened tonight, except Lily had just finished a game. They had won, but Lily felt like shit. Her team was probably out celebrating somewhere, but she had decided to just go home, not in a good mood. In all honestly, if Marlene hadn’t caught her going home, Lily might have even gone to the training facility for a bit more practice despite her exhaustion. 

“You’re fit Lily, you gotta use it to your advantage.” Dorcas jutted her chin out towards the bar where there were a group of four guys ordering drinks. “I’m sure one of them isn’t an asshole.”

Marlene slid out of the booth, grabbing Lily’s arm and pulling her up and out. “Next round is on you.” Lily tried to protest, trying to sit back down, but Marlene slid in the booth before she could, refusing to budge. She groaned, but grabbed her wallet and headed towards the bar, flipping Marlene off.

It was pretty crowded, and Lily did her best to thread through the crowd without getting too close to anyone. Still, she got some odd looks as she made her way over. There was only one spot open, and as she approached, she flagged down the bartender, resting her arms on the counter, and tugging her sweatshirt up enough to cover her chin. The group of four men were still at the bar, and Lily guessed that they must be still waiting for their drinks. 

While she waited, she played with the zipper of her wallet, thinking back to the game and replaying some of her mistakes in her head. It was a bad habit of hers, especially since she knew her coach would be showing her film in the next fews of what to work on, but with the olympic trials and championship so close, she couldn’t help it. 

Her thoughts were interrupted almost immediately by the tall man next to her tipping his head back and laughing. As he did so, his back bumped against her shoulder, and he quickly turned around. “Hey, so sorry, I didn’t think anyone was there.”

Lily quickly waved off, smiling quickly and hoping that he wouldn’t notice her current state of disarray. But, he paused, looking her up and down quickly. “Lily Evans?”

Her eyes shot to his face. “Sorry?”

“You’re Lily Evans, right?”

She nodded, glancing over at the bartender, who was still serving someone else. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

He smiled, and Lily was a little taken aback as she suddenly realized how absolutely _gorgeous_ this man in front of her was. His dark skin and his dark hair and his dark eyes made her want to jump him, right there and then. The man shook his head at her question, and his dark floppy hair landed in his eyes. With one hand, he stuck out his hand to shake hers, and used his other to push his hair back. “James Potter. You play for Chelsea, right?”

“Yeah, I do. How did…?” she trailed off, smiling slightly.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaning against the counter. “I’ve been a fan of Chelsea since I was little.”

“And you… _watch_ women’s football?” Lily said, a little in disbelief that a random man was familiar enough with the women’s football team to recognize her. She usually started, but had only been playing with Chelsea for two years and was almost never recognized. 

James shrugged. “I watch men and womens. I only caught the first half of your game today, but you played great!” He suddenly got even more attractive in a way Lily couldn’t explain

Lily wrinkled her nose almost immediately, but quickly tried to smooth her face into something a little more pleasant. 

“You didn’t like how you played? You got a goal, and you guys won!”

Lily opened her mouth to reply, but the bartender came by, and she quickly placed her order, adding in her friend’s drinks and an order of fries for her. When she was finished, she turned back to James. She half shrugged. “I just - the second half didn’t go so well. I missed a few key passes, and I dunno. It just wasn’t what I needed the game to be.”

“But you guys should be set for the FA cup, right? This game pretty much cinched your spot, so unless you want to transfer to a different team…”

Lily shook her head quickly. “No, no, I’m glad we did well. And I like my coach and team a lot, I don’t want to transfer. I just…” She glanced over at her friends, who were watching her interaction with no shame. “Don’t tell anyone this, ok?” He nodded quickly, glancing over at where she was looking. Lily flushed a little bit as the corners of his mouth twitched as he saw her friends watching them. “I’m aiming for the Olympic team. And I was really hoping this game would put me a little better standing than I was before. I still have the next few games, and the trials, obviously, so it’s not over yet, but I was just hoping for a better game.”

James opened his mouth to say something, but one of his friends said something to him, and he half turned around to reply, quickly, still keeping his body facing towards Lily. The bartender finally arrived with her drinks, and informed her it would be a few minutes before her fries were out. James was still saying something to his friends, and she debated saying something else to him. She carefully picked up the tray, but decided against it and instead settled for a quick wave, and headed towards her friends. 

When she arrived, she bumped Marlene’s hips to get her to scoot over, but she refused again. Lily rolled her eyes. “Marly, I got the drinks. I’ll even take a shot, but I just want to sit down -”

Emmeline didn’t even bother being discrete, pointing directly at James. “He’s cute.”

Lily folded her arms, burrowing into her sweatshirt. “Mm-hm.”

“Lily.”

Lily sighed. “I look like a mess. And I just… don’t have time, right now, ok?”

“Lily, you _never_ have time. And so help me god, if you don’t go over and get his number, right now, I will give yours to him for you.”

Lily shot a death glare at Dorcas, but he really was cute, and she still needed her fries. So, she spun on her heel and walked back to her spot at the bar, sliding onto the stool next to him. He pulled away from his friends, and looked back at her. “So why are you at the club? Don’t you guys usually celebrate as a team?”

Lily bit her lip, not sure she wanted to give him the real answer. But she’d already told him about the trials, so she figured it wouldn’t hurt. “Honestly? I didn’t shower at the arena because I was planning on going to our training facility, maybe the disappointment out or something.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

The bartender slid her fries towards her, and Lily immediately shoved two in her mouth. “And starving.” She pushed them towards him, and he gratefully took a couple. “My friends ambushed me before I got there. Wouldn’t even let me shower, and somehow, they let me in.”

He eyed her for a second, eye flicking up to her headband and then back to her face. “You haven’t eaten yet?” Lily shook her head. One hand reached up to thread through his hair again. “Do you want to get out of here and go grab something else to eat? There’s a good diner just down the street we could walk to.”

Lily’s eyebrows raised, more than a little shocked at his question. That wasn’t what she’d been expecting at all. “Are you sure? I’m sure I smell for than a little right now.”

He grinned, plopping a few more fries in his mouth. “I don’t mind. A little sweat is good for the soul.”

Lily laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. “Yeah, let’s go. Let me just go tell my friends.” She grabbed the remainder of her fries and stood up, walking back towards her friends. She tried to keep her face neutral, but the second she got close, Marlene shrieked. “You got his number!”

Lily set the fries down, reaching over her to grab her phone and keys, quickly shushing her. “We’re going to get dinner.”

“Right now?” Emmeline asked.

“Now? Like, right now?” Dorcas echoed. 

Lily ran her fingers through her hair, trying to seem a bit more presentable. She glanced back over at him, who was standing near the door. “Yeah, uh, sorry to leave, and sorry I’ve been gone so much, I just-”

“- Lily, we will forgive you, we know your bloody busy, and we love you, but only if you go _right_ _now_ and go snog him senseless.”

“-or shag him senseless. Either way.”

Lily grinned slyly at them. “I’ll text you guys later.” She turned around, her friends still laughing behind her to join him at the door. 

“You ready?” He asked. Lily nodded, and swung the door open, more than a little excited to see how this would turn out. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> due to popular demand (and my own personal demand) I decided to add another chapter to this - I guess it just didn't seem complete with just one chapter.   
> this was really fun to write, and honestly, I love lily as a footballer, so I might add some more chapters in the future! :)

They walked down the street and towards the diner James had mentioned, chatting about Lily’s football season. James knew his stuff, and Lily had to remind herself more than a few times to remain calm. She had literally never met someone - girl or guy that didn’t already play professionally - who understood the female football league and game so well. 

“You really think Liverpool is going to make the FA cup?”

“Oh, absolutely. I’ve trained with Jessica Clarke before, and she’s a great leader, really knows her stuff. And Vicky Jepson? She’s a great manager, knows exactly what’s shes doing.”

They had reached the diner, and James held the door open for her, gesturing with one hand for her to enter. “I think their defense is too weak. Last time you played with them, you guys crushed through it, no problem.”

Lily shrugged as she held up two fingers to the waitress, singling it was just two of them. “I think Jepson fixed it. We haven’t played them this year, but it’s looking better than it did last year.” James nodded, opening his mouth to say something else, but then their waitress led them to their table, and once seated, Lily dove into her menu. She hadn’t realized just how hungry she was.

It was a mom and pop diner, and this late on a Friday night, there weren’t a lot of people still eating, leaving the place mostly to empty. Lily glanced up at James, eyes quickly flicking up to his messy hair before returning to her menu. She tried not to imagine what it would feel like. “I’m just warning you, I’m absolutely starved, so don’t expect me to be all ladylike and eat just half of my food.”

James glanced up at her over the menu, eyes twinkling. “You just played a crazy intense 90-minute game, of course you better eat up.”

Lily grinned, setting her menu down and running her fingers through her hair again, hoping to straighten out any flyaways. All of her previous boyfriends had not bothered to hide their surprise when, after games and long practice sessions, Lily ate her fill. It wasn’t like she ate unhealthy either - but she needed the calories, and had to eat a lot to stay healthy. Some of her exes were worse than others - one had even gone so far as to take her plate away when he thought she had eaten too much (that relationship had not lasted long). It was refreshing to see James not give two shits about what she ate, or how much she ate. 

The waitress came by, and Lily and James placed their orders. Lily turned the conversation onto James, preferring to be less in the spotlight when it came to her job. She loved football, but she hated giving off the impression that she was bragging about her skills, and preferred not to talk about it a ton with people she just met. Her friends listened to her rants, cheered her on at games, but Lily tried to think of it as a normal job, even if she was gone every other week and worked more hours than was reasonable.

They chatted until their food arrived, and then they were quiet for a few minutes as Lily dove into her food. James worked for his father’s company, which she got the distinct impression that he stayed quiet about it similar to the reasons she stayed quiet about hers. 

“So you were going to go practice more tonight? Even after your _fantastic_ game?” 

Lily opened her mouth to protest, about to insist that it was _not_ a fantastic game, but he raised his eyebrows and she shut her mouth. It hadn’t been completely terrible, and she was being a little hard on herself. “I wasn’t going to do anything crazy. Just a few drills to try and clear my head.” She shrugged. “The facility is quiet at night.”

“You do that often?”

Lily finished off the last of her fries and sat back in her seat, feeling absolutely stuffed and a little rejuvenated. She tugged at the collar of her sweatshirt again and pulled her fingers into the sleeves of the sweatshirt. “A lot more lately.” She bit her lip, wondering how much she wanted to share. “It’s hard being on the road so much and then coming home to my friends. They support me a thousand percent, but it’s hard to keep track of their lives and I always miss their events. It’s a little overwhelming to try and hang out with them sometimes, so I just end up going to the training facility.”

“Do your friends know you’re aiming for the Olympics?”

She squirmed a little in her seat. She honestly felt bad for not telling them, but it just seemed easier. What happened if she didn’t make the team? “I haven’t told anyone, just my coach.”

“And me.”

“And you.” 

He smiled slightly, shaking his head as he watched her. “My best mates - they’re great. All of them are my brothers, basically. And I’m sure your mates are great too. But you gotta let them help you. That’s what friends are for.”

Lily nodded. She ducked her head, looking at the table. “I just… What happens if I don’t make the team? I don’t want to disappoint anyone and then deal with it all afterwards.”

“C’mon Evans, that’s no way to live. Your mates are your mates, and that’s what they’re there for.”

Lily blushed slightly at the use of her last name but looked up to meet his eyes. He made a really good point, and it was something Lily definitely needed to be reminded of at the moment. She thought back to the club, when she’d been tired, and probably a little rude to her friends. She made a silent resolve to do better.

His leg brushed hers under the table, but he didn’t move it away, and Lily had to force the butterflies in her stomach down. He brushed another hand through his hair, and she tried not to notice the sliver of skin that showed above his waistband. Instead, she asked him about his mates, and he dove into a story of how in uni, his friends had plastered various pictures of Chandler Bing in their uni’s president’s office. 

They traded off stories from uni until the diner closed, and got kicked out by a rather annoyed waitress. James had refused to let her pay, despite her insisting that she had ordered too much food to let him. But he hadn’t budged even slightly, and Lily paid the tip.

Once they were outside the diner, they paused, looking up at the street to the club they had left earlier. Lily didn’t want to go back to the club, but she also wasn’t sure what James was thinking. Had this been a friendly dinner, or was this a date?

Lily shivered, goosebumps appearing all over her exposed legs as a sudden chill swept through the street. James didn’t hesitate to wrap an arm around her, tucking her in under his arm, and Lily gratefully wrapped an arm around his back. He dropped his head closer to her, and Lily felt his warm breath tickle her ear. “What’s next?”

She looked up at him, wanting to thread her fingers through his hair that looked unreasonably soft. For a moment, she got so lost looking at him that the first thing that came out of her mouth was “I need to shower.” She wanted to kick herself for saying something like that, but in all honesty, she was too much of a mess at the moment to do anything else.

“Probably.”

Lily punched him lightly in the shoulder as he laughed. “I know I smell, but you don’t need to bring it up.” She pulled out her phone and with a few taps, sent a request for an uber. Luckily, there was one only a few minutes away, and as Lily shut her phone off, she wrapped both of her arms around James’ torso, tilting her head up to look at him. 

He pulled her even closer, rubbing his arm over her back to keep her warm. He seemed to pause for a second, but Lily let her eyes slowly flick down to his mouth. He took the hint and closed the gap, pressing his lips lightly against Lily’s. Lily lifted on her toes to reach him better, sliding her hands around his neck to pull him down. At that, he deepened the kiss, letting his hands wander to play with the ends of her ponytail. Lily’s fingers gently scratched at the back of his head, feeling just how soft his hair really was. 

James pulled away slightly, and Lily went on her tiptoes again, greedy for more. He laughed slightly and pointed at the street. A silver car pulled up next to them, and Lily realized it was their uber. James grabbed the door, and as she slid in, she grabbed his hand.

Once in the car, Lily leaned her head on James’ shoulder, surprised at how comfortable she was with the man she had met just a few hours ago. If her friends could see her right now, they would never back off of her. 

Her apartment was only a few kilometers away, and they arrived quickly. Lily climbed out, James’ hand briefly gripping her right hip as he climbed out behind her. He waved at the Uber driver, and as the car drove off, Lily grabbed his hand again and pulled him up the stairs and into their building. 

She jabbed at the elevator button, feeling James’ warm presence at her back, and willed herself to keep a hold of her self control until they were in her apartment. But it snapped the moment the elevator doors closed and James pressed a kiss just under her jawline. She turned around and pushed him against the back of the elevator, devouring his mouth in a greedy kiss. He responded in kind, moving his hands from her shoulders down to her hips. 

The elevator chimed, and Lily broke away, but only enough to check for anybody in the hallway before pulling James back to her and backing him down the hallway towards her apartment. When they finally, _finally_ reached her apartment, Lily fumbled with the keys, slightly distracted as James, standing behind her, kissed his way from her ear down to her collarbone.

They burst through the door, and Lily immediately kicked off her shoes, throwing her phone and keys down on the nearby couch. James’ fingers latched on to the bottom of her sweatshirt, but when he didn’t make any moves to pull it off, Lily slipped out of it herself, leaving her in her blue jersey. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her bedroom, but when he moved towards the bed, Lily pulled away and laughed. 

She grabbed the hem of his shirt and quickly pulled it off. She let herself admire him for a second, running her hands over his stomach, before quickly stripping off her jersey top. He tried again towards the bed by grabbing her hips and turning her around, but she slipped by him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bathroom, and he smirked against her lips. “I promise I don’t care about sweat.”

Lily smiled again, because, really, _where did he come from?_ There was just something about being so comfortable with him - the appreciation for women’s sports, the food, and complete disregard of her smell - that made Lily want his clothes off even faster. 

He was more than happy to oblige, and in seconds, they were under the steady stream of her shower, Lily pressed against the cold wall.

By the time they were done, Lily was sure that her water bill would significantly higher this month, and that she definitely would have several red spots that would need covering up in the morning. James seemed content to stay while she showered, but “yes James, I really do need to wash my hair, so if you could stop kissing me for just a second -”

Needless to say, she wasn’t going to get anything done with him there, and laughing she eventually kicked him out, pointing him towards the clean towels in her cabinet. A few minutes later, she emerged in her towel to find James, now mostly dressed, lounging on her bed. She smiled at him, walking over to her closet to grab a fresh shirt and shorts. But he appeared behind her, pressing kisses from the sweet spot he’d discovered earlier down to her shoulder. In an instant, she dropped her towel again and then pushed him onto the bed, straddling him as he laid down. 

“You sure you can go again, Evans? I mean, you gotta be exhausted and -” James started to say, but Lily pressed another kiss to his lips. 

“I think I’ve got _excellent_ stamina, Potter.” James growled at his name and flipped them over so that he was now on top.

The shower had made it a little hard for certain activities, but Lily and James picked up where they’d left off, and by the time they were finished, Lily could feel her exhaustion setting in. After using the bathroom, she immediately collapsed on the bed, tucking her wet hair up over a pillow. James slide in next to her a few minutes later, wrapping a warm arm around her waist and pulling her close. She didn’t often bring home random guys, instead preferring to go to their place for an easy escape afterwards. This time, however, she had no problem with James, and fell into a deep sleep. 

Lily didn’t wake up until it was nearly ten am, much later than normal. She had a half-second where she panicked and thought she had missed a training session, but she quickly remembered she wasn’t due back until two. She had another half-second panic attack when she wondered why there were clothes strewn all over the floor, but the memories of the night came flooding back to her, and despite her best efforts, a slow smile slid over her face. 

James wasn’t in bed, but she heard noises in the kitchen. She quickly threw on a baggy clean t-shirt and a pair of shorts and padded out of the bedroom. James was standing over a pan of eggs and grinned as she came out. 

“Morning Evans,” he said. Lily did not miss the fact that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and appreciated it even more in today’s morning light. “I hope it’s ok that I rummaged through your fridge.”

Lily nodded, letting out a huge yawn. “Sorry I slept so late.”

He flipped off the stove and looked around for her plate cupboard. She pointed to one on his right, and he dished the eggs out. He slid the plate over to her as she pulled out a chair. “S’no problem. I was only awake long enough to make these.”

Lily quickly dove in, starving again after a long day yesterday and a busy evening. James grabbed his plate and sat directly to her right, letting his leg brush against hers. They sat together, eating and chatting quietly. It was easy to relax, and once again, Lily was surprised by how comfortable she was with him. Lily had just pushed away her plate when her phone rang from the bedroom. She stood, grabbing both of their empty plates, placed them in the sink, and grabbed her phone. 

She emerged a few minutes later looking a little grumpy. “Everything ok?” James asked, scrubbing the egg pan. 

“Coach wants me in to talk over some film before practice. I need to head out soon.” Lily braced her arms on the counter opposite from James. She’d hoped that he could stay a little longer. 

James set the clean pan on the counter and dried off his hands before moving to mirror her position across the counter. He leaned over it, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Mm-hm. I was hoping we would have a little more time.”

Lily let out a little sigh as she moved around the counter so that she had full access to him. He grabbed her in another deep kiss, and if Lily hadn’t promised her coach she would be there soon, she would have stripped off her shirt right there and then. It took her a few minutes, but when she finally had enough strength to pull away from his tempting kisses, she leaned her forehead into his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around her, and Lily wanted to melt again, but instead pulled away. 

“I’ll let you go,” James murmured, walking backwards to the bedroom. Lily followed him, laughing as he made a show of putting his clothes back on. A few minutes later, they were standing at the door. Lily went on her tiptoes again to kiss him but pulled back before his fingers could persuade her to ditch her meeting. 

James cleared his throat, running one hand through his hair. “I uh, left my number on a notepad in the kitchen. Text me, yeah?”

Lily grinned. “Yeah. I’ll text you.”

He opened the door, gave her one last kiss, and walked down the hallway, leaving Lily with just enough time to get ready. She briefly checked her phone, sending a quick message to her friends who were (understandably) losing their minds at their unanswered texts, then madly dashed around her apartment to grab her gear before heading out the door.

She was glad she didn’t have a lot of time to think or let her friends put ideas in her head. But still, as she went through practice, she had a hard time staying focused, trying to craft a perfect text message in her head. 

In the end, she settled with a simple “hey, it’s evans”.


End file.
